Fostering inclusion policies is vital to closing the gender gap and attracting the top talent. Law firm HR Director Scott Sullivan shares his tips
UK businesses still have considerable work to do to increase gender diversity. Many struggle to close the gender pay gap and fairly represent women. The gender pay gap in Britain was 14.3% in 2023, and women need to work an extra 19 years to retire with the same pension savings as men.
Employers who don’t fairly represent women risk missing out on recruiting and retaining top talent
While the gender pay gap rises to 17.6% for Britain’s legal professionals, Bates Wells, led by our principle of “using law as a force for good”, is taking a stand to drive gender diversity both within the company and in the legal sector at large. Women make up 68% of our firm’s workforce and 40% of partners, compared to an industry average of 32%.These levels of gender diversity have been achieved by making intentional strategic changes to our policies.
There are many benefits of promoting gender diversity, but here’s the bottom line: employers who don’t fairly represent women risk missing out on recruiting and retaining top talent. The key is to ensure you have the necessary policies in place.
Here are three priority areas to consider:
1. Family friendly policies
These policies are crucial to attract, support and retain staff who are or may be planning to have children. Enhanced redundancy protections were introduced in April 2024 for pregnant employees and recent returners from maternity leave. It’s essential to keep staff trained on these updates.
A Department for Business and Trade report in 2023 revealed that only 1% of eligible mothers and 5% of eligible fathers took up Shared Parental Leave. Employers should consider supporting partners with better-paid leave during a child’s first year and flexible working requests, promoting long-term gender equality.
2. Flexible working culture
A notable policy update in April of this year introduced key changes to flexible working, including making the right to request flexible working a ‘day one’ right, and allowing two requests a year – up from one request after six months of employment, previously.
Since women are statistically responsible for most childcaring duties, increased flexible working helps address barriers to workplace participation. At Bates Wells, about a third of our people, and our partners, work part-time. Senior male role models who balance work and home responsibilities help normalise flexible working. We have made it a day one right and actively advertise this in recruitment. Reporting on flexible working data showcases commitment and accountability.
3. Menopause
There are some staggering statistics relating to menopause and employee retention with one report from the Fawcett Society suggesting that one in 10 women aged 45 to 55 left their job due to menopause-related symptoms. So having a menopause policy can be critical for supporting and retaining staff experiencing menopause.
Avoid a ‘one size fits all’ approach in policies and management. Menopause experiences vary; keep policies simple and supportive, and ask individuals how they want to be supported.
We partnered with Talking Menopause to educate our staff and encourage open conversations. We have created an online menopause support hub and will upskill our mental health first aiders. We also provide a funded menopause plan through our private healthcare provider.
The case for intersectionality
Successful EDI work must focus on intersectionality, not just gender. Case law regarding menopause highlights how gender, age and disability interact. Addressing gender alone won’t resolve all issues.
At Bates Wells, we ensure a balanced workforce and create senior opportunities for women. We signed the Women in Law Pledge, holding us accountable for gender equality and encouraging us to share our action plan for achieving this.
Our latest statistics show we meet our gender target for our management board (57% men and 43% women). We have more balance on our senior management team’s diversity, going from all women to now nearly a third being men). Sector-focused initiatives and pledges are good starting points for levelling the playing field at senior levels.
We safeguard gender equality by ensuring our workplace is free from discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and that transgender or transitioning employees feel respected and valued.
Ready to implement policies for gender diversity in your workplace?
Our gender equity commitments are driven by our board and our employees through our employee forum and The Gender Equality group. Our people help us stay aligned with their values, and our commitment to social impact has attracted plenty of top talent. Creating a truly lasting positive impact is a long-term goal – we’ve yet to crack every detail, but we’re working on it, and proud of what we’ve achieved in this important area.
Each and every business should want to increase gender diversity – and should start by implementing key policies. Companies who don’t seize this opportunity will miss out on significant talent.
Scott Sullivan is HR Director of Bates Wells
